Toilets are generally known as the primary fixture for water leakage. Running toilets are a constant problem that often occur from flushing a toilet over long periods of time. During the flushing of most toilets, the exterior handle is pushed down, causing an inside attached reservoir handle arm to pivot upward raising a flapper, which releases water into the toilet bowl. After the flushing action, the flapper is supposed to close down, allowing the internal reservoir to refill up for the next flushing action. The refilling of water will stop running after a shut off valve is activated by a float inside the reservoir that reaches a predetermined filled level. Over long periods of repeatedly flushing the toilet, the handle arm can get stuck in a raised position. Additionally, the handle arm can loosen up over time which makes the handle arm loose. The arm in turn can get hung up in the chain which in effect can cause the flapper to not close and results in causing water to constantly run into the toilet bowl from the raised flapper since the reservoir is not able to be filled up.
In addition the flapper can get stuck up if the external handle is stuck in a down position as well, causing the flapper to remain raised, and also result in causing water to constantly run into the toilet bowl from the raised flapper since the reservoir is not able to be filled up.
This constant running of wasted water will obviously cause extra undue expenses in one's water and sewer bill over time. A toilet left running all day can run through up to approximately 4,800 gallons. A water loss of thousands of gallons can overload the septic tank and flood the drain field. It only takes a few hours for such events to devastate a septic tank. Such events will require extensive cleanup and repair costs to both the tank and the drain field. A single toilet's continual demand for water can also overburden the water supply pump, resulting in burnout and repair or replacement. The constant running water can be a sound annoyance noise to those around it.
The current popular solution to fix a running toilet has always been to jiggle the handle. Jiggling the handle is not so much a solution as it is a band aid, since it does not prevent the arm handle from being raised to high.
Another temporary solution is when the user tries to artificially bend the internal handle arm downward, or try to shorten the chain that is attached to the end of the pivoting handle arm. However, these parts are often connected to plastic or easily breakable parts, and the like, which can become easily damaged. Such damage often results in the user replacing internal parts in the toilet or calling a plumber. Hiring a plumber will result in expensive labor and material costs as well.
A still another attempt to deal with toilet water conservation is to purchase a low volume toilet that runs up to approximately 1.6 gallons per flush as compared to up to approximately 4 to 7 gallons per flush with conventional toilets. However, the low volume toilets can be twice as expensive or more as regular toilets, and they still are subject to the same running problems described above.
Thus, the need exists for a solution to the above problems.